The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry) William Myers Kasper (ASN: 0-23210), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving as Commanding Officer of the 2d Battalion, 411th Infantry Regiment, 103d Infantry Division, in action against the enemy near Kirchheim, Germany, on 21 April 1945. When enemy 88-millimeter artillery, machine gun, and mortar fire forced a task force to disperse, Colonel Kasper, taking cover in a culvert with eight men, organized them into a defense and beat off an attack by a numerically superior enemy. Observing an eight-man patrol approaching under cover of darkness, he placed four men at the entrance of the culvert and, waiting until the patrol was within ten yards, directed a barrage of fire that killed all eight of the enemy. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Lieutenant Colonel Kasper, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.